World's Edge

James Sallis' collection of five novellas. 'James Sallis is a superb writer ' - Times James Sallis' World's Edge presents five masterful novellas-Dayenu, Carriers, Settlers, Allotments, and Reconstruction-exploring fractured societies, human resilience, and the fragile intersections of morality and survival. Sallis's prose, as sharp as it is evocative, captures the nuances of his dystopian and near-future settings, resonating with themes of dislocation and identity. Widely regarded as a pivotal voice in contemporary US fiction, Sallis's work aligns with literary giants such as Cormac McCarthy and Denis Johnson, weaving the poetic bleakness of the former with the incisive character studies of the latter. These stories draw readers into a world both intimate and unyielding, where existential questions lurk beneath stark, elegant narratives.

James Sallis published sixteen novels, multiple collections of short stories, essays, and poems, books of musicology, a biography of Chester Himes, and a translation of Raymond Queneau's novel Saint Glinglin. He wrote about books for the LA Times, New York Times, and Washington Post, and for some years served as a books columnist for the Boston Globe. He received a lifetime achievement award from Bouchercon, the Hammett Award for literary excellence in crime writing, and The Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. Sallis passed away in January 2026.